Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism and Other Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms in the MCC Gene

The MCC gene is a candidate as a tumor suppressor gene for colorectal neoplasms. Further, MCC is tightly linked to the familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) locus by linkage and physical analysis. Hence, restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of this gene might be very useful for presymptomatic diagnosis of individuals in families segregating mutant alleles of the APC gene. Here we report the identification of five polymorphic systems in MCC gene (both cDNA and genomic), one of which is an insertion/deletion polymorphism that is detectable by a polymerase chain reaction method. These five RFLP systems should be useful for linkage studies in FAP and for examining loss of heterozygosity at this locus in colonic polyps and tumors.